


Red turns black under the moonlight

by Dunloth



Category: Naruto
Genre: Anbu Hatake Kakashi, Anbu Shiranui Genma, Gen, Light Angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-07
Updated: 2020-02-07
Packaged: 2021-02-27 22:15:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,228
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22603075
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dunloth/pseuds/Dunloth
Summary: The river water washes the blood from Kakashi's ANBU armor away. The moonlight softens its angry red color. A friend helps Kakashi feel a little less lonely.
Relationships: Hatake Kakashi & Shiranui Genma
Comments: 14
Kudos: 65
Collections: The Kakashi Lounge





	Red turns black under the moonlight

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the Moon prompt at the [The Kakashi Lounge](https://the-kakashi-lounge-blog.tumblr.com/).  
> Thanks so much to MagnusTesla for their invaluable help and beta review.  
> CW: blood, very mild gore.

"We rest here for two hours," captain Tiger signs to his team. He drops down to the forest floor in silence. The other three ANBU team members follow him like shadows in the night. They are in Fire Country territory, so it's not too risky to set their makeshift camp in a forest clearing, instead of hidden between uncomfortable bushes, like the days before. They set down their bags and weapons, eat some cold food, and take care of their necessities.

Kakashi needs a wash, badly. He's got blood and other icky bodily secretions on him, much worse than his teammates. He's been the one in charge of most of the mission killing, again. Since the Kyuubi attack some months ago, there are no longer many senior ANBU operatives left. He’s not one of the most experienced veterans by far, but he’s one of the most deadly, in spite of being only fifteen. 

He decides to risk going to the river nearby to get a quick wash. Captain Tiger nods at his request. Kakashi trots to the riverside, vigilant of any strange noise around.

The forest opens to the serene view of the full moon over the mountain river. Kakashi makes sure there are no enemies around and kneels on the dry, white gravel by the running water. He removes his ANBU mask, vest, and arm guards, and starts washing them briskly.

The moonlight hides the reddish organic colors of the blood and the gore washed away by the river. Under the moon, everything is black or white. Its cleansing light hides the rawness, the ugliness of the death caused by him. He could pretend he's washing mud, or ashes, instead of blood, bile, and bits of flesh and brains.

After the good scrubbing, the pieces of ANBU armor are white again, shining under the moonlight. It's like nothing bad happened, like he’s washed away his sins.

They were the easy part to clean, but Kakashi still reeks of blood and death. After considering the downsides of the cold against the smell, he also removes his pants, arm gloves, and the shirt that's almost his second skin with the elastic fabric mask attached to it.

Kakashi rubs the clothes with clean water, trying not to soak them completely where it's not necessary. When he thinks they’re clean enough, he squeezes all the water out of them and hangs them in the branches of the bushes to his left. Then he crouches closer to the river, cups water in his hands and begins washing himself, despite the cold. He starts with his filthy right hand and wrist, tainted by the chidoris he’s had to perform today. After that, arms, shoulders, face, thighs, calves, and what he can reach of his back (how did he manage to get this much blood and filth under his armor and his clothes?).

Kakashi twists and struggles to reach a spot with crusted dry blood he feels in the middle of his back. He suspects the blood there is not from one of his victims—no, not victims, enemies. Sensei always said he should say enemies. The memory makes his heart clench and he loses his focus on what he’s doing.

"Let me help you." Genma's voice startles him. Kakashi should've felt his teammate getting close, but he's tired, and he lost himself for a moment in his memories. He lost his awareness of the open riverbank, the sounds of the water flowing and the night creatures around.

Genma grabs a handful of grass from the riverside, pulls it into the water and scrubs Kakashi's back with it. "This is soapwort. It's a bit soapy, good for scrubbing yourself."

Kakashi lets him rub his back, uncomfortable. "Thanks," he says, but he wishes Genma would leave him alone.

"You have a wound here. Let me—"

"It's okay." Kakashi jerks away from Genma's hands and starts putting his shirt on.

"Your clothes are still wet. You'll catch a cold if you wear that. We can dry them a bit with a fire jutsu."

"Genma, stop it. You don't have to take care of me. I'm not a child."

Kakashi turns around and looks at Genma's face, showing him his own naked face for the first time. Kakashi figures that the moonlight probably makes him look like a faded ghost, with his awfully pale skin tone. But Genma smiles at him, not shocked at all.

"I know. You've never been a child since I’ve known you. Not even at the academy, and much less when you got into ANBU at thirteen."

"You know I was a jounin at thirteen."

"Yeah. I know. It stung a little, you know? Three years younger than me, and you still got to be jounin first. You are a little arrogant shit." The warmth of Genma’s voice contradicts his offensive words.

They look at each other. Kakashi knows Genma's waiting for him to say something more. To talk to him about all that’s wrong and broken inside. Genma's been trying to approach him since... Since the Kyuubi attack.

"Come on, get your clothes on or you'll get a cold for good."

Genma walks past Kakashi, patting his shoulder, and crouches by the water, trying to clean his armor, too.

Kakashi stands under the pale moon, wet, cold, and numb, his hands hanging at his sides. He is relieved that Genma gave up on trying to get him to talk. 

Or perhaps he isn't. Perhaps he is just a little disappointed that Genma gave up on him.

He stares at Genma’s back while the teen scrubs his own vest, his ANBU mask lying on the river pebbles by him, black and white in the moonlight like a statue face.

Genma is a good person. Kakashi doesn't know what someone like Genma is doing in ANBU. It's not a good place for him, with his big heart and his natural tendency to care too much for people.

"I just miss him so much. I miss them all."

His own voice surprises Kakashi. He wasn't intending to speak out loud at all.

"Eh?" Genma stops scrubbing, and turns to him, shocked.

"Forget it," Kakashi says, hoping that Genma can’t see his red face in this light. He busies himself by putting on the rest of his wet, unpleasantly cold clothing, and even puts the armor on top, too.

"Okay, wait. Stand still for a moment," Genma says, getting close after he finishes washing his gear, and Kakashi is fully clothed. He stands in front of Kakashi, forms a familiar sequence of hand seals, and extends his hands outwards. A sustained gust of warm air blows from his palms, whirling around Kakashi for a couple of minutes. When it stops, Kakashi is feeling pleasantly warm, dry, and much better.

"There. You no longer look like a soggy puppy."

"You're so proud of yourself, with that hairdryer jutsu, aren't you?" Kakashi replies, grouchy. But Genma reads the 'thank you' underneath.

"Damn well I am. You're welcome, brat." He pats Kakashi's head in the affectionate way he knows that annoys him, and starts his stroll back to the camp, putting a senbon in his mouth for the road. "Come on, we've been away for a while. Let's see if we manage to get back to Konoha before dawn."

Kakashi follows him back into the shadows of the forest.


End file.
